Communication: Theory or Practice?

This week’s blog post is a reflection on the two “lectures” we had this week. Unfortunately, both of these lectures were given online and not in person. This directly relates to what I would like to address in this blog post. As the world today becomes more computerized and technological, people are being replaced. Only two generations ago, people had to hand-write a letter and send it by ‘snail mail’ to contact anyone far away. Compared to today, this is a very personal and meaningful connection. You had to sit and write and put effort into your letter. Nowadays if you want to contact a friend, you could reach them by dialing a number, typing a few characters on Twitter, sending them a Facebook message, emailing them or connecting to their Blog . I can’t remember the last time I got a real, hard copy letter in the mail. This makes me a bit sad.

My mood was not good on Monday. I didn’t realize the class was cancelled until I got there. Later, when it was time for my lab, I didn’t know where to go because the room was booked by some other group. I took a wild guess on where the lab was, and turned out it was right. Well by then I was not in the mood to do a lab. Luckily, we were practicing a skill which I think is essential for the repertoire of a successful student and worker. That skill, of course, is public speaking and the lab proved to be useful practice.

I was glad to see we were going to learn about public speaking this week because of its importance.  But my mood was dampened yet again this week when I learned that the lecture would be online today. How, I ask, does one learn how to speak publicly from reading directions off a screen? The answer: communication theory can only broaden your skills so much and the real improvement comes from practice.  I hope that we will be practicing our speaking skills soon, I long to un-glue my eyes from this screen and look into the eyes of my fellow students as we communicate.  Online may be the fastest, cheapest, most efficient way to communicate, but nothing beats face to face.


Picture Citations:
1.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2y7wAFt5ACiJ6HBiIoKtHl2qNaw33UsLnvP5iHuB1w63bpCybbk3qsNtOqatmdNX0INR65BF_cICjVuKHXr5Z9RF3WLTFuOvnz_s87LAVkbn-25jSXKiEdF1ega3evUWwGbcasXOhQZE/s1600/letter%252520writing%252520skills.jpg
2. http://nataliecopuroglu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/twitter-email.jpg
3. http://www.smcdsb.on.ca/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6/Image/Shared%20Image%20Library/Educational/public-speaking-micorphone-crowd.jpg

Module 3 Blog Post

You have been introduced to me, now it’s time to go in depth a little further. Have a look at my new Facebook profile. It includes all you need to know about me if you were to hire me. You can check out the profile photos on my Flickr page as well. It also has some of my interests and favorite movies and the like, so a prospective hirer can get a picture of what my personality is like.

At first I was a little skeptical of making another Facebook profile for business purposes, but now I am starting to realize that it could be very useful. My personal Facebook profile can be used exclusively for entertainment purposes, but my business profile can be used to connect to future jobs. This profile can also be used to connect with co-workes and researchers in my field of study. We could use Facebook to set up meeting events, or get the word out on a new breakthrough in food science. Its easy to connect with other Nutrition students, for example, take a look at Madelein's Blog. It is neat to find other students who share the same passion for food that I have. 

The main reason I think this Facebook profile is a good idea is to inform future bosses of what I stand for and who I am professionally. When interviewers or bosses are looking for some information on their applicants, one of the things many do is “google” their name. I would like it if my future bosses ‘googled’ my name and found my new Facebook profile. They could see a bit about me and what my ambitions are for my future career.

ALES 204 Online Class

Hi, my name is Alyssa VanKooten. I am in my second year of Nutrition and I am really excited to be starting this blog!  I am hoping to use this blog to connect to Dietitians in the Edmonton area, as well as fellow Nutrition students. The blog is something I will use beyond this class, for career and entertainment reasons. It would be cool to blog about my studies and, in the future, about my career and life. As of now, I don't use too much social media. This ALES class has introduced me to Twitter but, before that, all I have had is Facebook. Communication plays a huge role in my field of study. To be a Dietitian you have to have people skills and be warm and understanding. It is also crucial that people in the Nutrition field be able to report any research findings properly. If there is a problem in communicating, for example, the amount of Vitamin B12 someone should be taking, they could end up seriously sick. Communicating in the Nutrition field isn't always verbal, it is also digital. Lately, nutrition has become a popular topic among the media. More and more studies are coming out about how unhealthy the first-world population is becoming due to poor nutrition. This has sparked many positive articles, news stories, TV shows, diets and web-sites. In addition to this, the awareness of nutrition issues to the public has resulted in a lot of false studies and 'facts.' These things have to be watched for carefully, and show how important it is to communicate that your facts and research are verified. Web sites are a great way to share information about nutrition. For example, this is an informative and reliable resource: Health Canada. Communication is essential to the Nutrition field, and I hope that ALES 204 helps me become an expert on using communication techniques to the best of my abilities.